HYDERABAD: A retired major general was on Wednesday arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the Adarsh housing scam here.
A team from the Maharashtra unit of CBI arrested the former army officer and shifted him to Mumbai on a prisoner-transit warrant, after producing him in a court in city.
The CBI team led by a Dy SP arrived in the city and arrested retired major general, A Ravindra Kumar, from his residence at Plot No 46, Main Enclave, JJ Nagar in Yapral. Sleuths from Hyderabad CBI assisted them in the arrest.
The 69-year-old retired Armyman was later produced before the chief metropolitan magistrate at the criminal courts complex in Nampally. Kumar is accused No. 4 in the case, in which more than dozen persons including government servants are allegedly involved. Kumar was the general officer commanding (GOC) Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat area when the Adarsh scam is said to have taken place.
In its petition seeking two days transit warrant for Kumar, the CBI said that Kumar conspired with the then defence estate officer, R C Thakur and others including a brigadier, M M Wanchoo to construct the housing complex.
Though Kumar was not competent to give a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the land, he gave the NOC to the Mumbai collector. A 31-storied-building was constructed on the land flouting all rules. The scam accused got the building constructed and allotted flats in their names and of relatives, the CBI alleged. Kumar’s arrest came a day after the CBI arrested four persons, including senior army officers in the scam. Kumar was later shifted to Mumbai by the CBI officials.
The CBI earlier registered cases under section 120-(b) r/w 420, 468, 471 of IPC and 13 (2) r/w 13 (1)(d) of the PC Act 1988.
The allegations are that the army, government officials and public servants got allotted a plot of land at Colaba in favour of Adarsh Cooperative Group Housing Society which was in possession of the Indian army for a long time and constructed a 31-storied-building in total violation of norms.